Posts Made By: James McSheehy

November 14, 2012 03:51 PM Forum: N.A.S.A.

Saturn V explained, for the new dark age

Posted By James McSheehy

Now that we've entered a new era, one where NASA can no longer send people into space, it's only natural that the public might forget past accomplishments. Here is an attempt to explain the Saturn V moon mission vehicle in terms that might be understandable "down the road". 8)

http://xkcd.com/1133/

November 20, 2012 07:25 PM Forum: Politics

Forward.

Posted By James McSheehy

And the shadow government advances another notch:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57552225-38/senate-bill-rewrite-lets-feds-read-your-e-mail-without-warrants/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=title

Forward comrades, forward.

November 27, 2012 04:57 PM Forum: Politics

We can't handle (or afford) the truth

Posted By James McSheehy

The "official" deficit for hast year was ~ $1 trillion. Yawn, big deal, so what's new? How about $7 trillion, is that a number large enough to raise concerns?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323353204578127374039087636.html?mod=hp_opinion

100% of the taxes collected to fund Social Security and Medicare now go directly to pay beneficiaries and nothing is placed in reserves. No problem, just raise the taxes and cut the benefits. Well that might have worked twenty years ago but it's not a viable option anymore because there aren't enough taxpayers and the unfunded liability is too large.

My prediction is they will go after a chunk of the $15T currently sitting in IRAs, 401Ks, and pension funds. After all, it's just money sitting unused, and you don't need it right now, do you CITIZEN?

November 28, 2012 11:18 PM Forum: Refractors

Great photo comparing the TEC lineup

Posted By James McSheehy

I came across this photo that shows the entire TEC refractor product line, to scale, along with a stand-in obviously rented from some modeling agency. 8)

http://www.unitronitalia.com/prodotti/TE-00-yuri.jpg

November 29, 2012 09:57 PM Forum: Politics

All you 401k are belong to us! BOHICA

Posted By James McSheehy

Yes, it didn't take long for the thieves to set their sights on the low hanging fruit:

http://business.time.com/2012/11/28/fiscal-cliff-why-congress-might-have-to-mess-with-the-401k/

Desperate people do desperate things. And you believed them when they said the earnings in those Roth IRAs were going to be tax free! 8)

December 6, 2012 05:27 PM Forum: Politics

Shadow government purge underway

Posted By James McSheehy

Now that the elections are over, the Shadow Government is wasting no time:

Generals Petraeus & Allen, purged,
Boehner purges uncooperative House committee members,
Senator DeMint announces his resignation. Lindsey Graham and Harry Reid smile.

As the Chinese might say, "May you live in interesting times".

December 11, 2012 03:07 AM Forum: Politics

OK smart guy, balance the federal budget

Posted By James McSheehy

Here is a good online calculator that lets anyone try their hand at balancing the federal budget:

http://projects.wsj.com/my-deficit-plan/?standalone=1#sel=0-0-0

It's a bit naive as it assumes tax increases will actuall raise the projected revenues, increases in expenses will not exceed 2-3% inflation projections, and we won't have any recessions or financial crises until 2020.

December 11, 2012 11:12 PM Forum: Investment Discussions

Man vs. Machine, the HFT markets

Posted By James McSheehy

Ate you still participating in the stock market? Roughly 70% of the trades in stock markets are now made by computer programs competing against each other for pennies of arbitrage here and there. The high-frequency trading systems (HFT) are supposedly a good thing because the brokers that run them say they improve market liquidity. So what happens when a human being, an in-duh-vidual investor comes along and tries to buy or sell amongst the HFT 'bots?

http://premarketinfo.com/2012/12/11/a-five-minute-example-of-everything-that-is-wrong-with-our-markets/

Not a pretty picture for the guy typing at the keyboard. It should be illegal, but that would require market regulators that cared. 8)

December 18, 2012 04:16 PM Forum: Politics

Thanks for the mug shot pics

Posted By James McSheehy

Facebook continues to vacuum information and where it ends up is anyone's guess:

http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/17/instagram-tos-update/

The East German Stasi in their wildest dreams could never imagine a future where hundreds of millions of people voluntarily contribute (and regularly update) intimate details of their daily lives. Facebook has done the hard part, now the supercomputers at DHS/NSA/FBI can crunch, crunch, crunch...

I'm sure the sausage they make will taste like freedom. 8)

December 19, 2012 12:01 AM Forum: Politics

"Justice" Department gets tough on gun crime

Posted By James McSheehy

Once again, General Holder's Justice Department shows its stripes:

http://www.ammoland.com/2012/12/13/fast-and-furious-sparks-outrage-with-comical-sentences/#axzz2FS0bUuf6

I'm sure the unprecedented plea deal and the wrist-slap sentences had nothing to do with keeping these scumbags silent. Our "free Press" completely ignored the story as well.